Estadio Gran Parque Central

Key facts

History and description

Estadio Gran Parque Central officially opened on the 25th of May 1900, and two days later Nacional played their first match at the stadium. The encounter versus Deutscher FK ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the first decade of the 20th century, Nacional only played sporadically at Gran Parque Central, and it took until 1911 for the club to finally say goodbye to its ground at Camino Cibils. At the same time, they completely renovated the facilities of Gran Parque Central.

In 1918, Nacional player Abdón Porte shot himself in the centre of the pitch of the stadium. His act followed his exclusion of the club’s first team, which was hard to accept for the former club idol.

The stadium was rebuilt after a fire partly destroyed it in 1923. Until the opening of Estadio Centenario in 1930, it was Uruguay’s primary football stadium.

Estadio Gran Parque Central hosted six group matches at the 1930 World Cup. These matches had not been planned, but heavy rains delayed the completion of Estadio Centenario.

A new stand was built in 1944, but few changes were made in the following decades and Nacional increasingly used Estadio Centenario for their home matches.

In 2003, the club announced a major renovation program and two years later an upgraded Gran Parque Central reopened with a friendly between Nacional and Paraguayan side Olimpo.

Works continued in 2009 with the construction of extra tiers on top of the stands behind both goals. These were about to be completed in the summer of 2012, and next new works were started on filling the corners with new stands.

(photos of the present Estadio Gran Parque Central below)

Getting there

Estadio Gran Parque Central is located in central Montevideo, about 4.5 kilometres north-east of its historic city centre.

The stadium lies a short walk away from Estadio Centenario, as well as from the main Tres Cruces bus terminal.

From the historic centre one can reach the stadium with bus 4, 77 100, 102, 103, 105, 106, 109, 110, 111, 112, and 113. All these buses follow the same route.

Take any of the above buses from Av. 18 de Julio (just after Plaza Independencia). The buses follow Montevideo’s main avenue and then take a slight turn left onto the Av. 8 de Octubre. Get off at the corner of Av 8 de Octubre and Jaime Cibils.

Address: Carlos Anaya 2900, La Blanqueada, Montevideo

Tickets

Tickets for Nacional matches can be bought through the Abitab payment system, usually from one or two days before the match. Abitab has branches all over the city, more than ten alone in the historic centre, and for example one at Plaza Independencia.

Tickets can often also be bought at the ticket windows (ventanillas) of the stadium on the day of the match.

A ticket for the standing area behind the goal typically costs UR$150.00. Seats range in price from UR$200.00 to UR$400.00.

Nacional tend to play their home match against Peñarol and the occasional other match at the larger Estadio Centenario. Ticket prices are generally increased for the match against Peñarol, but can be lower for other matches.